


in the beginning

by canniballistics



Category: EOS 10 (Podcast)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-25 16:05:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17124467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canniballistics/pseuds/canniballistics
Summary: "Maybe," he responds, setting up his tablet and taking out a pen. "But the work tends to go quicker when you've got a friend to keep you company, doesn't it?"Blue looks irritated now, sets his own pen down pretty definitively. "Sometimes, but I'm pretty sure you can't be friends with someone you've never met."





	in the beginning

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Colourofsaying](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Colourofsaying/gifts).



> HELLO god I wish I'd had the time to give this the love it deserves. It was such a cute prompt, I wanted to try to do at least a little thing - happy Yuletide, and I hope your days are kind!

In his line of work, it isn't uncommon to visit exciting new locales, meet new people, make new (if somewhat temporary) friends. Hell, some of the best perks include getting to go to those new places, try some new foods, see some new sights. Of course, that's in between the _actual_ parts of his job, but that's fine. That's the benefit of being really damn good: he's got _time_ for all those things.

There are the fun jobs, and then there are these.

Honestly, it's not that bad. The Academy's campus sits at least twice as large as any school he's ever gone to, the food's not bad (if a little bland), and most of the folks are bearable. It's not a _bad_ post, by any stretch, even if it's full of privileged little snots. But it's _boring_.

The mission briefing had been simple, and fast: infiltrate the Academy as a teaching assistant and study up on chemical compounds and medical terminology. It isn't hard to piece together that his next job will have something to do with an upcoming Alliance Medical Conference, and he ends up spending the entire trip to the Academy trying to guess who he'll be shadowing there, instead. Black market drug dealers? An attempted assassination? Dr. Horace Urvidian drunk again? Anything would be better than _this_.

"I didn't sign up for this job to go back to school," he mutters to himself one day as he glares at the papers in his hands. Tests that needed to be graded, handed to a man who very much was not qualified to grade them by a professor who was commonly known for watching old sitcoms during his supposed office hours.

"If that's the case, you might've chosen the wrong job."

He looked up to see who the snarky little shit was, found himself watching a tall form with light blue hair walking past. The man turned to look back at him, nodding toward the papers. "Just give them all As, make it easy. I'm sure they'd appreciate it!" 

"Didn't anyone ever teach you not to eavesdrop?" He found himself calling out, the hint of a grin picking at the corners of his mouth. Huh. Tall, short blue hair, good physical form. Handsome, even if his forehead's kind of big. A student, though not in his class, which is a damn shame; he'd remember that hair and the forehead beneath it. And probably the cute face.

"They tried," is the response, and then he turns a corner and is gone.

Maybe this place isn't so boring after all.

* * *

It's a week before they run into each other again, and it's honestly kind of worrying how often he finds himself thinking about Blue Hair in the time before it happens. During class, when he's supposed to be paying attention, in the evenings, when he's doing his own extracurriculars in the chemistry department. Handsome guy like that, it's hard _not_ to think about him. 

So when he steps into the cafeteria late one night, hungry and with papers to grade, and sees Blue sitting at a table covered in textbooks and papers, he hates just how lucky it feels. No such thing as luck, he has to remind himself, just coincidence. Still, this is a pretty nice one.

Blue doesn't notice as he walks up, only glances up at him when he sets his bag down. Now, in the harsh fluorescent lights and much closer than before, he can see the bags under Blue's eyes, how bloodshot they are. Blue starts to frown as he begins unloading his bag, and sits up.

"I'm— kind of in the middle of something, can you not? There are plenty of other, _empty_ tables you can have."

"Maybe," he responds, setting up his tablet and taking out a pen. "But the work tends to go quicker when you've got a friend to keep you company, doesn't it?"

Blue looks irritated now, sets his own pen down pretty definitively. "Sometimes, but I'm pretty sure you can't be friends with someone you've never met."

Well then. Blue doesn't remember their little exchange in the hallway. It shouldn't be surprising, or at all disappointing, and he's not — disappointed, that is. It's totally possible that that hadn't counted as a meeting, especially since they hadn't exchanged names. So he twists the cup off of his thermos, fills it nearly to the brim with the coffee he's brought with him, and hands it over.

"Well then, it's a pleasure to meet you. Ben." And as soon as it's out of his mouth, he clams up. Shit. That's not the name he'd picked for this reconnoissance. No one's asked his first name yet, but it's still too close—

Blue, thankfully, hasn't seemed to notice. Instead, he looks at the coffee, and then up at him, and then back at the coffee. He shakes his head, barely managing to stifle a yawn, before taking the offering. "Sorry, there's just been a _lot_ of work to do lately, I haven't slept much. And— thanks, for this." He grabs the little cup, takes a sip. "I'm Ryan, by the way."

Ryan. "Hm. Blue suits you better, but Ryan's not too bad." 

Ryan snorts, his eyes already back down at the work in front of him. "Ben's pretty old-fashioned, too. I don't think you have any room to talk." 

It's a companionable silence that falls between them then, and despite himself, he finds himself impressed by Ryan's work ethic. The conversation is virtually nonexistent, other than a couple of gibes here and there; instead, he just keeps refilling the cup originally meant for him, and before long, his papers are graded and the heft of Ryan's workload seems finished. It's a good thing, too, because he hasn't had a drop of the coffee since realizing that a single thermos couldn't possibly fuel two men. 

He stretches as he sits back, fighting off a yawn of his own this time, and Ryan laughs. "You're new at this, aren't you?"

Immediately, his guard goes up, and he aims a careful smile at him. "What makes you say that?"

There's a gesture at the thermos, the stack of (poorly) graded papers. "Most TAs I know grade right there in class. No one _actually_ stays up late to do it."

Oh. "That obvious, huh?"

"Yep. Don't worry, you'll get used to it." Ryan packs his things into his own bag, finishes the last of the coffee as he stands. "Thanks for the coffee. And, I guess you were right. It did go faster with company. Good night, Ben."

Ryan turns to leave, and Ben would be a liar if he didn't watch — only up until Ryan stops to turn back to him, at least.

"By the way," he says, and there's a cheeky grin on that unfortunately handsome face. "How'd those tests go? Did you pass everyone?"

A grin to match spreads across his own face, and he leans back in his seat. "Every last one of 'em," is the response, and Ryan just shakes his head, laughs.

"You're a terrible liar," is all he says, before he walks away.

Funny, he'd thought he was more convincing than that. He sits back, this time making no secret of it as he watches Ryan leave, and tries to figure out how much time he has left at this position. It's finally gotten interesting.


End file.
